Andrew Dismore

So Theresa Villiers MP (Times 2/11/17) criticises the Mayor for the decision to close Barnet Police Station’s front counter, (though there will be local sessions for those who wish to have a face to face discussion with a police officer).

What she abjectly fails to criticise, is her Conservative Government’s decisions, time and again, to deprive the Metropolitan Police of the money it needs, including for the costs of keeping Barnet and other stations open; nor does she criticise the decision of the previous Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson to close police stations, such as Whetstone and Golders Green locally.

It is arrant hypocrisy on her part to attack Mayor Sadiq Khan for these decisions, which  he is forced to make due to the stark financial crisis facing the Met, whilst at the self same  time voting time and again for the Conservative Government’s budgets that have led to this sorry state of affairs.

If Mrs Villiers is  so concerned, then in the Budget debate in 2 weeks’ time, I look forward -more with hope than expectation – that she (and Barnet’s other two Conservative MPs) will speak out in favour of restoring the Met.’s finances; and vote for a  police funding settlement that will mean our police do not have to make the further £400 million cuts they presently face over the next 4 years.

With 80% of the Met.’s costs going in pay, there is nothing left to go, except police officers and we can only avoid the dire prediction of the Deputy Commissioner that the Met.’s officer numbers will drop to 27,500 – the lowest for almost 20 years and the consequences that  flow from that- if the Government recognise the consequences of their underfunding and cough up.

Best wishes

Andrew Dismore AM

Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden

City Hall

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